Jean-Claude Vannier - Les chemins de Katmandou
May we continue, with back to back anniversary joints that burn in totally different ways.
This one is 10 today, and what can I say? It's Vannier!
Vannier as in Jean-Claude Vannier, pre-eminent composer, arranger and musical instigator of France for 60 years now.
Anyone who's read this page must know how much I adore Histoire de Melody Nelson, the unbelievable 1971 Serge Gainsbourg concept record, driven by filthy beats and surging and stunning orchestrations, about a guy driving around having a midlife crisis who accidentally runs over a beautiful young girl.
The approximately 11 people who regularly read this page -- yes, I love each of you as my own family -- might also remember when I posted my manically exhaustive expanded version of that bootleg Gainsbourg compilation that was around decades ago, which features Jean-Claude Vannier -- probably as much Serge's lifetime musical foil as any figure -- more than prominently.
Back in 2006, there was a concert at the London Barbican where Vannier and the BBC Symphony Orchestra performed the entirely of the Melody Nelson LP, plus another of JCV's early-1970s confections, a soundtrack for a film called L'Enfant Assassin des Mouches.
Despite the BBC participation factor, I don't think that that show was ever broadcast, which bugs me in ways that make me wish for a time machine and the ability to transport really good microphones and recording gear across the temporal plane.
Emotional devastation over ROIOs that don't even exist aside, we do have this exquisite performance Vannier did in Paris a decade ago, with a string quartet and rock band playing a whole bunch of selections from his vast catalogue of film music, and with an emphasis on the more Rock and Symphonic Funk side of his oeuvre.
This was one of those shows where, when I pulled possibilities for May from the archives, I didn't really imagine I was gonna post it, but when I listened to it, it was so badass I just couldn't not do it.
On the way to cracking it into shape to put up here, I accidentally discovered that it was also filmed, and that the encore reprise they performed of one of the tunes was not included in the FM broadcast of it that happened a few weeks hence.
In the ongoing interest of at least attempting to put these insane, unnecessarily completist mania I was born with to some semblance of a greater good, I slotted the missing song into its proper place and remastered it to match the FM portion.
Jean-Claude Vannier
Studio 104
Maison de Radio France
Paris, France
5.11.2015
01 FM intro
02 54
03 Au désespoir des singes
04 Ballade de Melody Nelson
05 Ah! Melody
06 Le roi des mouches et la confiture de roses
07 Juste une petite fille
08 Chanson d'amour
09 Les pépins de la raison
10 Les chemins de Katmandou
11 Dans mes rêves
12 Rose rouge-sang
13 Browning
14 Chanson de la pluie
15 Super nana
16 Mon beau travelo
17 Le nez devant
18 L'enfant assassin des mouches
19 encore: Juste une petite fille (reprise)
20 FM outro
Total time: 1:11:35
Jean-Claude Vannier - vocals, keyboards, accordion & recorder
Denys Lable - guitar
Tony Bonfils - bass
Daniel Ciampolini - drums
Jeanne Lancien - violin
Ludovic Balla - violin
François Bodin - viola
Julie Chouquer - cello
the FM announcer is Laurent Valero
Tracks 01-18 & 20 are a slightly retracked digital capture of the complete analog 2015 France Musique FM broadcast
Track 19 is an encore not included in the FM broadcast, sourced from an HD DailyMotion video
converted to 16/44 CD Audio & remastered to match the remainder by EN, May 2025
427 MB FLAC/direct link
I'll return in 24 hours to put a real Hurting on all 11 of you, with another anniversary blast in tribute to one of the greatest debut records that shall e're be.
We won't get ahead of the hurt just yet, as I sneak this one in under the wire for its tenth birthday and say hey! Listen to J., and spray some Vannier on your way today, OK? This concert funks hard and I hope it is just the right kinda Mother for your Day.--J.